Daesh Militants Break Out of Syrian Prison Camp after Turkish Shelling
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Detained members of the Daesh (ISIL/ISIS) terrorist group managed to escape from a Kurdish-run prison in northeastern Syria on Friday after Turkish shelling hit the area.
It comes as one hundred thousand terrified civilians fled the Turkish incursion into Syria. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's troops continue to advance - with Ankara claiming it has killed 342 Kurdish fighters, according to The Daily Mail.
"Five terrorists escaped from Navkur after shelling struck near the prison," said an official from the Syrian Democratic Forces, the de facto army of the autonomous Kurdish region.
Video has emerged showing a number of prisoners escaping the compound, after Turkish mortar fire against Syrian Democratic Forces trying to move the occupants.
A Kurdish official said the Jerkin facility, another nearby prison, had also come under regular Turkish fire, increasing the chances of a breakout there too.
The video shared by officials shows a shell landing in the courtyard of what appears to be a prison facility in the city of Qamishli. Seconds later, a handful of men open doors and seem to be trying to leave.
An official with the mostly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces says some of the men in the video are security guards seeking to contain the escape and regain control of the prisoners.
The prospect of mass breakouts is causing deep concern among many foreign powers, who fear the return on their soil of Daesh terrorists and the resurgence of the group in the region.
According to the Kurdish militia, some 12,000 men are held in seven detention centers across Kurdish-controlled areas.
Air strikes, artillery bombardments and small arms fire raged throughout border settlements along the 75-mile front for a third day, with Turkish Foreign Minister Hulusi Akar announcing Turkey's forces had "neutralized" hundreds of "terrorists".
Kurds announced camps packed with 20,000 displaced people, including the wives and children of Daesh terrorists, were to be evacuated south after they were hit by Turkish shelling.
Meanwhile, at the Al-Hawl camp further south, notorious for housing British Daesh bride Shamima Begum, rioting and escape attempts were reported as news of Erdogan's offensive reached the facility.
Doctors Without Borders said it was forced to shut down a hospital, which served more than 200,000 people, because of the spreading violence.
